Missing the Point [part two] ...

Fear of public speaking, fear of looking like an idiot in front of an audience, what could be worse?  So in those rare events when you are forced into the limelight to make some sort of speech, we tend to prepare, rehearse, and try to get ourselves ready however we can.  Some folks use cue cards.  Professionals use a teleprompter.  And children try to memorize what they are supposed to say.  We do our best, partly because we want whatever it is we have to say to come across well, be heard, and be understood by our listeners.  But in those even rarer impromptu situations when you have zero time to prep at all, your ability to “wing it” in front of a crowd may define whether you a “gift” for speaking in public, or whether you should never quit your day job.  Ideally you are never thrust into one of those impromptu situations throughout your life.  But they do happen.  And there is no way to prep for them, when they come up, they are just here, when nobody, least of all you, had time to imagine they would come.

Some might think pastors get impromptu situations all the time.  But really?  Oh sure, they face public speaking every weekend.  But those sermons are rarely done by winging-it.  Instead they are prepared well ahead of time.  And weddings, funerals, and child dedications are not events that occur without at least some foreknowledge they are coming.  These events generally have a lot in common, i.e. when you have done one baby dedication, you have done them all kind of thinking.  Being asked about your own personal testimony with Jesus may happen unexpectedly, but it tends to be the same story you have told a hundred times before, so that one is well rehearsed.  Even the questions that spiritual leaders are asked tend to follow similar lines of thinking, why me, why her, why does God permit evil to happen to good folks, when will it all end, how can I be saved, how do you know Jesus is real, etc. etc.  The answers to these questions for the speaker tend to be well rehearsed over a lifetime, if you have ever done any witnessing to anyone before.  So while it is not impossible for a pastor or spiritual leader to get caught with something impromptu that has not been well rehearsed, it is not as common as you might think.

But here is the kicker; when you are NOT a pastor, or well-rehearsed spiritual leader, and “then” you get asked to preach a sermon, or tell a story, in front of a crowd, with zero time to prep, no idea it was coming, and wham – the spotlight falls upon you – then what?  Can you imagine anything more nerve racking than that?  It does happen.  It did happen.  Let’s pick up with the study we began in our last post and continue looking at one of these type of impromptu situations.  It begins with Peter and John heading to the Temple to pray at about 3pm in the afternoon.  That’s all they intended to do.  But along the way they encounter a lame man, at the gate called “Beautiful” of the Temple, who then asked them for money.  They did not have any.  But instead, Peter looks the lame man in the eyes and says in the name of Jesus of Nazareth rise up and walk.  The man tries.  His legs and feet are restored and he winds up walking and leaping into the Temple praising God with all of his might.  If the story ended here and we printed the “and everyone lived happily for ever and ever” banner, we would all leave with the warm fuzzy in our tummy.  If we imagined ourselves as Peter in this story, we might wonder if that kind of miracle healing was still possible in our day, through our prayers.  But that is not where the story ends.  It continues.

Luke picks back up in the book of Acts, in the third chapter in verse 11 saying … “And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering.”  The loud praise of this man, leaping for joy, just caused such a stir in an otherwise somber Temple gathering people were just amazed and spellbound at what had taken place.  This miracle was like a light in the darkness.  A light that could not, nor should not, be hidden.  It needed to be explained.  Later we will read, that more than 5000 men gathered to hear the explanation, so the size of the crown was no small thing.  Now I know you probably don’t imagine yourself as truly being like Peter in this story of old.  So you likely don’t pray prayers of miraculous healings, that result in someone leaping around praising God, particularly in such a crowded public place.  But that is us all, myself included, missing the whole point of this story.  We are all, meant for more.  This miracle was intended not to just be a light to the lame man changing his life, it was meant to be a catalyst light to every worshipper to point them back to the love Jesus Christ has for each of us.  Has the need for that kind of light ever been greater than now?

Luke continues in verse 12 saying … “And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk?”  The first thing Peter needs to do, is to center the credit for this healing back on God, not on anything to do with the “holiness” of Peter or John.  Human nature tends to look first at the person, instead of the God behind the person.  And so often we would relish the attention and praise we might get for being “the miracle worker”, even though it is always only the power of God that can do anything miraculous.  If the healer wants the credit, he serves a different master.  But now arises one of those dreaded impromptu situations.  One where there is zero time to prep, no rehearsed sermons to call on, and frankly Peter probably does not think of himself as any kind of preacher at all.  He has only given one sermon before.  It is not like he has made any kind of career out of this up to now.  He is young, uneducated, not qualified (by current standards), a known sinner, a guy who even denied Jesus when it counted.  This guy is not a preacher.  Neither are you?  Or, does God have a surprise for you coming soon, a situation just like this, a question, or a personal witness that right now you have no idea about.  But it is coming.  And Peter gives us the road map for how to handle it.

Luke continues in verse 13 saying … “The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. [verse 14] But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; [verse 15] And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. [verse 16] And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”  Ouch.  Peter does not sugar coat his story.  He identifies that Jesus is the Son of God, and then quickly reminds this crowd that they recently killed Jesus when even Pilate wanted to let Him go.  He then tells the crowd that Jesus has risen from the dead and it is by faith in the name of Jesus that this lame man has been fully healed.  Perhaps not the most elegant way to start up a sermon, but keep in mind 5000 men were converted by the power of the Holy Spirit from the words Peter spoke.  Perhaps elegant, professional, and polished was NOT what God was looking for right then.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit was able to use the words of Peter such as they were to effect conviction and change.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit was feeding Peter what to say, right as he was saying it.

Luke continues in verse 17 saying … “And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers. [verse 18] But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. [verse 19] Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; [verse 20] And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: [verse 21] Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”  Then Peter says, even if you were ignorant before, it is time to repent now, to be converted, and ready for the refreshing and return of Jesus foretold by all the prophets of old.  Do you think Peter was concerned about looking like an idiot in front of this huge crowd?  Do you think Peter was even thinking about himself at all right about then?  I doubt it.  My guess is he was deep in the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, and fully content to open his own mouth with whatever words the Spirit put in them to say.  He did not need to prep.  He did not need to worry.  This sermon was to be preached whether he thought of himself as a preacher right then or not.  People needed to see the light cast back upon Jesus, both then and now.

Luke continues in verse 22 saying … “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. [verse 23] And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. [verse 24] Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. [verse 25] Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. [verse 26] Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”  And that last line is the essence of the Gospel and its power both then and now.  Jesus was sent to bless us, in that He will turn us away from our sins.  Moses foretold this.  Samuel and all the prophets foretold this.  This Jewish audience were the metaphorical sons of these prophets in that the blessing of Jesus coming was done in their lifetimes.  We are the same sons now; we have the same Bible to read and realize all this was done for us as well.  The Gospel is the same now.  Jesus is still turning hearts away from sin, and THAT is the biggest miracle He can perform for each one of us.  And frankly, it is the most needed one we have.

Jesus told us not to concern ourselves with what to say, when a time like this arose.  Don’t worry about it.  Let go, and let the Spirit put the words in your mouth to say.  Keep in mind the results of this sermon led to the conversion of 5000 men, who knows how many more were reached after the initial counting of this.  Who knows how many people were reached as these 5000 went home and told their families and friends what they saw and heard.  All because the most common of young person, allowed himself to be used in spreading the love of Jesus to those who needed it most.  All because a non-preacher became a preacher in the course of 2 sermons, he had no time to prepare for.  All because when a known sinner like Peter looked upon the lame man, he knew Jesus would heal that man, regardless of his own short comings, or the short comings of the lame man.  Jesus’ love is greater than our sin.  And the Power of Jesus is enough to turn our hearts away from our sins.  This is how Jesus saves us to the uttermost.

Isn’t it about time for us to start channeling the love and power of God, through that name of Jesus Christ back into the world as I know Jesus wants us to do?  It is not our power, it is His.  It is not our holiness, it is His.  It may not even be our love for another, but surely Jesus loves that precious soul more than we can imagine.  The time of miracles has come again.  Will you take your first step into the wider world?  Will you let go your sins (allowing Jesus to transform and save you), and focus on asking for Holy Spirit to be poured out on your life everyday?  In an age such as this, how will you be found?  The time is now, what will you do with it? …

 

Missing the Point [part one] ...

Why do you suppose the story of Peter and John healing the lame man at the gates of the Temple exists?  Sure, it is a part of church history.  The resulting reactions reminded the Sanhedrin of Jesus and what they did to Him, and you could argue the miracle caused them to back into persecution mode.  So perhaps you could argue that miracle done in the name of Jesus was a catalyst for the early Christian Church.  But this story would be read by many well after persecution had taken on different forms and come from different sources.  It is read now in our own day when the freedom to read and believe seems well established.  So why do we care about it?  Is it just church history to us?  I think we tend to venerate the disciples as carrying the pillars of our faith on their shoulders, somehow making them beyond normal, making them Biblical heroes in a way we could never imagine ourselves becoming.  And if that is where our thinking has evolved, I dare say we have completely missed the point.

What Peter and John did, did not occur because of how special they were.  They were the farthest thing from special, they were in fact as common as common could be.  Fisherman were not the class to lecture in the sanctuary or temple circuits.  Fisherman were not invited to debate in the halls of power, or to offer insight on any scripture anywhere.  This was not a personal slight against Peter or John, or any other disciple of Christ, it was just the way society in their day measured itself.  To teach, you needed education, quite a bit of education, to even think about it.  To teach, you needed to be disciples of a venerated Rabbi who could pass along his own knowledge to you.  The process took years, many years.  So when you examined “who” did teach scripture it was always the old, always the male, always those tempered by time.  That was NOT Peter and John.  They were young men.  They never did get any kind of notable traditional education at all, not before Jesus, and not after Him.  They did NOT fit the mold of any kind of teacher, let alone preacher, let alone evangelist or eloquent public speaker.  But Luke records in his book of Acts, a series of public sermons by Peter with stunning results.

Does any of that sound like you?  Does the common part of Peter ring a bell in your soul?  What about the youthful inexperienced part of who he was, does that sound like you?  How about a total lack of public speaking up till the days he started doing it out of nowhere, with no plan, no planned event, in front of thousands with no planned speech at all.  Luke starts the story in chapter three of his book of Acts in the first verse it says … “Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.”  This was just two friends going to the temple to pray with everyone else around 3:00pm in the afternoon, as was the custom for those who were in Jerusalem at the time.  They would not be alone.  But they would certainly be praying differently than anyone else in ear shot of the two of them.  For everything these two men would ask would be asked in the name of Jesus.  This was just two young men who just wanted to go to Temple to pray.  Nothing special.  Nothing much uncommon, and zero plans at all.

Luke continues in verse 2 saying … “And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; [verse 3] Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.”  As Peter and John approached the Temple to pray, they encounter a beggar asking for any kind of money or alms they may have been carrying.  How many times have you been approached by someone begging for money, carrying a cardboard sign, or just looking like a homeless person with no better alternatives.  Notice the irony of Luke pointing out the name of the gate was beautiful, when the life of this crippled beggar was anything but beautiful.  He had to be carried to this spot every day.  And once there he could not move to any other.  He sat in abject humility forced to ask any passer-by for anything they could spare, in order to even try to maintain his own needs.  But his needs went far beyond his stomach.

And here is some of the point we tend to miss.  The beggar had no hope beyond the money he asked for.  The beggar had lost any hope that healing was even possible.  His bones were misshapen, his muscles in complete atrophy around his ankles and lower legs.  That was the medical fact of his life.  It had been like this since birth.  And he was known to all who passed by there, as they saw him growing up sitting in the same gate unable to ever move.  Perhaps he had been carried to this site by different people over time, thinking they could at least provide him this service.  So the beggar asks for the only thing he has hope to ask for, not always expecting to get money either, but still hoping for it.  Is that us?  Are we so spiritually crippled by our own self-limitations, or worse the limitations of the box we place God in, that we have lost all hope for the needs we truly have, and instead only ask for money.  In truth, it does sound like so much of the church as it exists today.

I wonder if we encountered such a crippled beggar as this today, would any of us ever think to help carry him to the temple in order to beg?  Would we just give him a dollar or two, and think our responsibility has been met and nothing more of us should ever be required.  Or would we like the Pharisee in the parable of the good Samaritan cross the road, or roll up the window, in order to avoid any contact with the less fortunate fearing they may hurt us to get what they need.  After all, most beggars in our day must just be lazy or crazy right, perhaps we can just say a quick prayer for them and be on our way.  But this is not the approach Peter or John took that afternoon while on the way to prayer.  Perhaps because we never seem to be on the way to prayer, much too busy for that, we don’t have the time for beggars either.

Luke continues in verse 4 saying … “And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. [verse 5] And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. [verse 6] Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”  Notice there is no hesitancy in Luke’s account of this encounter.  Peter sees beyond the need of alms to the needs of this beggar’s soul.  To restore his hope, he needs his body healed.  He needs to see a miracle done for him without any faith it could be done, or ever would be done.  Peter does not withhold money in exchange for something greater, as neither Peter or John were carrying any money at the time.  Had they been carrying money, they would have gladly shared it as well, for that is how the whole Christian community was living freely with each other at the time.  When we don’t have spare change how many times do we simply say “sorry, we don’t have anything today”.  And we then feel absolved from any responsibility because since we do not carry cash there is really nothing more we can do.  And I would ask, is that how Jesus handled these encounters?  Peter and John had been with Jesus so many times in encounters like these and they KNEW what Jesus would have done.  So they did it too. 

Without committee to assess, without any faith on the part of the recipient, without going to huddle and determine what approach they should take, or how to pray a prayer that would not embarrass them if it failed, they boldly asked the man to rise up and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  While the beggar had no idea what was going on, Peter and John expected this miracle to take place, in fact, they had no doubt it would.  Medical facts on the ground were nothing to the disciples of Christ.  Medical facts, even up to death, never stopped Jesus, why should it stop them.  Keep in mind, these were two young men, the most common type of men the earth could produce back then, not formally educated, not Rabbi’s, not teachers or preachers.  And they probably would not have considered themselves evangelists or even faith healers.  But none of that stopped them, or even gave them a moment’s pause.  They just asked for a miracle and knew it was coming.

Luke continues in verse 7 saying … “And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ancle bones received strength. [verse 8] And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”  Crooked malformed bones straightened out without a twitch of pain.  Muscles long in decline were made full, and carried the strength of a young man in his prime.  The former crippled beggar leaped into the air.  He not only stood, but walked and continued leaping like a gazelle, all the while praising God.  Notice the miracle was attributed back to the power and love of a redeeming God.  Neither Peter or John immediately went around saying, “you know, we did that” or “if it were not for us, this guy would still be laying here at the beautiful gate just begging up a storm”.  Nor did Peter or John, turn to the healed beggar, and ask for a donation for their own ministry.  No fame.  No fortune.  Not even to seek for credit as to who did it.  Because they both knew, “they” were as common as common gets.  There was nothing in them, that made the man walk, there was only power in the name of Jesus Christ.

And instead of stopping to judge whether the beggar was worthy of such a miracle (who of us is?) they just acted in love to him.  And the results were stunning.  You could not keep this man from shouting his praise to God, and literally leaping into the air.  Eyes around the temple that had gone there to pray were drawn to this man disturbing the quiet and somber place, with such heartfelt sincere praises to God it was infectious.  The entire crowd recognized him, they saw the miracle, and none could explain it.  But they each knew God did this.  And praise began to sweep over the entire crowd.  The hearts of Israelites were suddenly irreversibly lifted in joy and excitement over what has happened.  Luke goes on in verse 9 saying … “And all the people saw him walking and praising God: [verse 10] And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.”  Wonder and amazement swept the crowd.  The praise lifted to God on this afternoon was catching fire and none could contain it.

This commotion would be noticed quickly by the church authorities.  And predictably they would not share the spirit of joy and praise for they were filled with another spirit.  The contrast would be stunning.  But in the recounting of this story in Acts, I still wonder if we have missed the point entirely.  You are no different than Peter or John.  And before you start protesting in your own mind and heart, immediately recounting all your sins and failures, Peter and John had just as many of those in their own lives.  And unless you happen to be a member of church leadership, educated from birth into the scriptures and how to debate them, you probably resemble Peter and John more than you think.  All you ever needed was time with Jesus.  You spend it in prayer.  Jesus walks with you every day.  And the same Spirit that was poured out on Peter or John, can as easily be poured out on you if you but ask for it.

None of this is to make you some kind of great faith healer, or evangelist.  You probably think that could never be you, you never made any plans along those lines.  Neither did they.  This story is not just a part of church history, it is a road map to your future.  Your ministry could by the grace of God become one where you have the confidence and security in the love of Christ to ask for miracles done in His name.  Miracles for the benefit of someone else in need.  Miracles that restore hope to the soul, and turn misery into praises that leap and bound across church floors.  Imagine the person stricken with cancer, aids, covid, or any other disease that medical science and medical facts just cannot undo.  Imagine the joy and praise that could enter that person’s heart when healing comes from your simple prayer on their behalf said in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The point of this, the point of this miracle, is that you and Peter and John, are really no different at all.  There was nothing special about them that allowed this to occur.  If you believe, ask for His Spirit, and keep your eyes open for others in need, you too could be calling down miracles from heaven that would disrupt not only the medical community, but restore hope to souls who have long since given up, and have never really known the love of Jesus until it comes cratering into their lives through your prayers for them. 

And healing is only the first part of this story, there is more yet to come …

 

The Death of Capitalism ...

We are all very proud of our system of government.  Our democracy remains the aspiration of most of the rest of the world, even with all the faults it has.  But I dare say that just the system of our government on its own could not have achieved as much wealth for our citizenry, had it not latched itself to the concepts of capitalism along the way.  Earning what you work for is an underpinning of our society.  Those that work harder or smarter earn more.  This just seems fair.  It is the gasoline for the American Dream.  At some point however it is a little like the tail wagging the dog, in that most of our laws wind up centered around insuring a state of fairness, in a system where greed becomes more king than we thought.  Our nation begins by simply taking land from those who were unable to defend it.  Fast forward a bit and, slavery as an example, was the privileged earning more wealth across the backs of those who had no choice and received no share of that wealth.  The greed that powered that system, required a war to finally get rid of it.  The birth of industry resulted in much the same experience.  The super wealthy earning even more wealth across the backs of the downtrodden; horrible working conditions in factories where even children were forced to participate.  Exploitation of immigrants; particularly the Chinese to build railroads in working conditions we would call criminal by today’s standards.  At nearly every turn, we wind up adding volumes of laws to keep our greed under control in a system that naturally promotes greed at its core.

We would love to think our modern ways, and enlightened thinking, have eliminated these problems in our society.  They haven’t.  A global economy only lessens our ability to legislate guide rails around it.  Monopolies continue to exist in the form of very few corporate providers in key sectors of our economy, and they remain there by exploiting political weakness, and essentially by stoking the fires of personal greed along the way.  Our own laws become less effective at maintaining a state of fairness.  And so media companies are used to try to convince the American citizenry that having a class of “one percenters” is a “good” thing as if anyone could by hard work find themselves rising to enter this class themselves.  They can’t.  But the campaign to convince us, that somehow it is possible, is designed to help us elect those who we believe will somehow help us rise up, and at a minimum, become more wealthy along the way.

In America, this is just how it is.  We the people, have come to accept life like this.  And now, we the members of various Christian Churches have decided that participation in government is required to “protect” our way of life.  We have grown tired of a Hollywood agenda.  And we have decided to push back against liberal ideas that we believe threaten the moral character of our country.  But our method of achieving these goals has not been to live differently, only to speak more loudly.  To rethink how we live as Christians, to the degree it would be different than the capitalistic system that underlines America, has never even been under consideration.  Or to model our lives based upon what the government of heaven might look like, has again become completely unthinkable to us.  To make that denial easy, we simply deny we could ever know what government in heaven looks like, or that God would take as active a role here and now, as He obviously will then.

But what if the goal of our God for our lives was not really wealth at all?  What if the wealth of the kingdom of God, or how God measures wealth, was nothing like the wealth we all strive for here?  If you came to this realization, what would you do about it?  Most modern Christians have devolved into the idea that just giving a little more in tithes and offerings, of the wealth they have achieved, is the answer to this.  But that is much like putting lipstick on a pig.  Dressing up our greed with some measure of charity, does nothing to eliminate our greed entirely.  The pig still remains, we just keep putting makeup on it.  But there are actually several examples of how we should live in the Bible that might radically alter holding on to pigs in the first place.

In the Old Testament, (as in the New), what you had was a direct result of what God gave you – never a mention of what you earned.  And while the times were simpler then, much of God’s law had to be designed around eliminating your greed.  If you found yourself owning slaves (by whatever means) you had to free them every 50 years.  The same for property you acquired from people down on their luck.  You were supposed to provide for the poor by letting them harvest your fields (they called it gleaning) for free and without restrictions.  They had tithes and offerings as well, but strangely, the super wealthy back then were known for giving 70 to 90 percent of their increases instead of just the 10 that was required.  It never made mathematical sense back then either, but the Lord was determined not to be outgiven by His children then or now.  Those people had bills to pay back then as well, maybe not the same bills, but bills none the less, and yet they gave away way more money than they could afford, or we would even consider.  Yet somehow, some way, these folks who gave so much become the super-rich through being the super blessed.

When Jesus comes along, He lives the life of a homeless person throughout His ministry.  One set of clothes was all you needed.  Everything Jesus needed was provided for by His Father.  And our Example, never spent a moment worried about getting rich before He left.  And Jesus, again the example we are supposed to model, never spent a moment trying to eliminate a pagan government that was dead set against the precepts of our God.  Jesus did not even try to tear down the corrupt religious leadership that was ruining the church of His own day.  He taught the truth, and reprimanded the lies, the greed, and hypocrisy, but did nothing to try to tear down those corrupt institutions.  Instead, Jesus did not concern Himself with government at all, not secular or sacred.  He just lived the life to total dependence on God He desired to live.

And finally, Luke provides for us an insight into how the servants of God lived right after the ascension of Jesus.  You know, back when the church was pure, and the mission of God was actually paramount in the lives of His followers.  It picks up towards the end of the second chapter of Acts picking up in verse 42 it begins … “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  The church was happy to hear about the life and ministry of Jesus.  This was not traditional worship back then, it was radically different.  Scriptures back then, essentially the Old Testament, were no longer read absent the life of Christ, they were instead read against the life of Jesus, to illustrate how ALL of the Old Testament prophesies were successfully met in the life of Jesus, in His death, and in His resurrection.  All of the Bible was no longer read independently anymore, it was read through the lens of Jesus Christ.  That was something completely new, and completely different than anyone was used to.

But the life of these Christians was not just about worship, it was about fellowship.  It was about supporting each other emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  They hung out together.  They went on mission trips together.  They had meals together.  These were NOT once a week Christians who only saw each other on Sabbath or maybe on prayer meeting nights.  These were Christians who knew each other and hung out together all the time.  No one was a stranger to anyone else.  That takes time and dedication.  They did not treat each other casually as if anybody they encountered was not really important.  Instead everyone was valued.  They wanted to know everyone.  And they took the time to eat together and hang out together to accomplish that goal of inclusion.

Finally, the most important thing they did together was to pray together.  Not just on prayer meeting night for an hour or so, but pretty much all the time.  When you had a problem back then, your first thought was not how to solve it, but to ask God about it.  When you had an opportunity back then, you did not just jump right on it, but instead paused to ask God about it and seek His wisdom first.  This was not ritual.  This was integrating talking to Jesus into your everyday life as if He was right there with you.  But it was more than just talking to Jesus, it was as much about listening to what Jesus had to say in return. Immediate and interactive prayer.  Listening to the Holy Spirit to find out what to do next.

Luke continues in verse 43 saying … “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”  Fear, or wisdom, came upon every single soul.  That would include the young and the old, the men, women, people of all races and languages.  And the Apostles began doing many signs and wonders in the name of Jesus Christ.  These were not magic tricks, they were miracles, performed for a purpose.  The same purpose Jesus used to do them, to redeem the lost, and point them back to God, now back to Jesus Christ in these cases.  These disciples were not special.  They were common men.  Most not even educated formally.  They were NOT religious leaders.  They were just believers, made special by their proximity to Jesus.  They had the witness of Jesus, because they experienced Jesus.  Is that your testimony as well, have you experienced Jesus yet, or is He still theoretical to you?

Luke continues in verse 44 saying … “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; [verse 45] And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”  And there it is, the death of capitalism, and the death of greed with it.  All that believed were together, and pooled their belongings, sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them across the entire crowd of believers as anyone who had need.  This is the unthinkable today.  It rubs us the wrong way.  To give up everything I have, in order to give it away to anyone, whether they deserve it or not, whether they are contributing or not.  Forces me to give without judgment, control, or preconditions.  It also makes me poor, so that I am dependent on the pool as well.  But it also means everything I have ever done or acquired is a gift to God.  It forces me to be dependent everyday on God for what I need.  Puts me back in Old Testament times for manner of government.  But it also frees me to have time to pray, spread the word, and hang out with all the believers in my area.  I may still work, but if I work, it is with the realization that my work is for everyone, never just myself, or my family.  And in truth there is nothing preventing us from living this way right now.  There are no laws against it.  We could live this way if we chose to, the only thing preventing us from living this way is choice, or own choice not to.

Luke continues in verse 46 saying … “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, [verse 47] Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”  Imagine that, going to church to hang out every single day.  Encouraging each other every day.  Moving from house to house to have meals in small groups and have worship, to praise God all the time.  And living lives of such connection with Jesus, that everyone who looks at you sees it, and hears it.  How could they not?  This why these Christians had such favor with the all the people.  It was not just for magic tricks or miracles.  When miracles were done, it was to meet the needs of the people and point them to Jesus.  People were giving of what they had to each other without thinking about it.  And people were glad to do it.  Everyone was so happy to see Jesus reflected so well in these new believers.  They saw the power of the Holy Spirit transforming the lives of everyone who professed the name of Jesus.

Were we to live this way, capitalism would be dead in our hearts and hands, and greed with it.  Wealth would be measured in the addition of souls to the kingdom of God.  Fellowship would be prized above all else to build each other up in the cause of Jesus.  Eating together would be highly regarded.  We would pray all the time.  And we would give the Holy Spirit full access to our hearts.  You will notice Luke makes no mention of the early Christian Church trying to take over any kind of governmental role.  They did not try to root out the Romans.  They did not try to take over the Sanhedrin, or the local Synagogue.  They just stuck together and lived how they lived.  They made people happy because they met the needs of people, and took an interest in the lives of people.  This was not done by governmental mandate but instead by the mandate of God on our hearts and souls.  They made interactive prayers a part of their daily routines.

I am no socialist.  I am no communist.  I do not think greed dies because we will it to be so.  But I do think that when we start giving Jesus all of ourselves, we begin to value things differently.  And the changes that come, come across the breadth of our lives, including what we think of as treasure.  We do not need to change our governments before we change our lives.  Our government makes no difference in that.  Look at the Apostles, they lived under a pagan government that killed Jesus, let alone would think to promote Him.  But they did not spend time trying to figure out how to change the Roman government, instead they spent their time loving Romans, and Greeks, and Jews, and everyone else they could encounter.  And over time their love changed the governments of the whole world including Rome. Perhaps it is time for us to realize that the wealth of this world is not what our God wants for us.  He is much more interested in sharing the wealth of the next world with us, even while we live in this one.  That transformation alone could remove the pig, the lipstick, and the need to ever be subject to greed again.  Are you willing to go that far? …

 

The Word Must Spread [part 2 of 2] ...

Sometimes we modern Christians believe there is nothing left to do.  There are few, if any, new mission fields to discover.  It looks to us like the work of spreading the word has been all but accomplished in the days before our own.  Perhaps there is merit to this, except in one case.  There is a field yet to be truly planted.  There is one field left, perhaps more important than any the missionaries have suffered to explore.  It is the field of our very own hearts.  We modern Christians know all “about” Jesus, we may have studied scripture, even for as long as all of our lives.  Our historical knowledge may be unparalleled.  Our doctrinal knowledge unrivaled.  But our experiential knowledge no more than that of an infant.  This condition is a symptom of one small thing, the insertion of “self” into the process of our salvation.  So many of us have been taught that “bad” people end up in hell, and “good” people end up in heaven at the end of all things.  That simple idea leads us to “try” to be “good” people.  When we fail at it, we are told to ask for forgiveness and get up and “try” again, “try” harder, show more will power, until we stop failing.  And these actions teach us over time that “we” are responsible for the molding of our characters by abstaining from evil.  We are told we must do our best “before” God will “make up the difference”.

And in so doing, our hearts remain our own.  Even for those strong of will, who abstain from evil by the sheer force of their will in action; their hearts remain unplowed fields, still chained to the desires for sin, even if overcome by abstention, still longing for what they should not long for.  We remain addicts to sin, no matter where we are in our self-proscribed 12-step-programs for treating our sins.  We rely upon Jesus so seldomly to truly rid us of sin, we have little exposure to that method, little testimony of it, little witness to it.  Instead, we have a long history of warring against sin on our own, and ultimately failing.  Still addicted to what we cannot change; the desires in us to still want evil.  What we really know about Jesus is from what we hear in sermons, and what we read in scripture, and these days what we see in films or other dramatic interpretations of these events like in “the Chosen” TV series.  All of our knowledge is “about” Jesus, little of our knowledge is personal to us, and truly meaningful in how we live our lives being made free from the desire to sin, because we do not ask Jesus for that, nor expect it if we ask.

Thus our hearts are last great mission field that must be truly sown by the Holy Spirit, creating in us a longing to let our sins go, putting them in the hands of Jesus for more than just forgiveness but to be eliminated from our thinking and our desire, thus freed from our action by His nature that becomes our own, not by struggle of our will.  For so long we have preached a message about the soon coming of our Lord, the return of Jesus to take us home.  And for so long, the Lord has delayed His return.  His delay has been one of love, hoping to harvest as many as can be harvested.  And each time we have preached His return with urgency and urgency has not yielded to fruition, even those in the church have turned aside from that message and decided it is not as real as we thought.  Those who have sought to find signs of the end have found them, yet still the Lord does not return.  Those who have sought exact dates of the Lord’s return have been bitterly disappointed.  And we wonder why the delay, why the disappointment?  All the while seeking a salvation that would tolerate and excuse the sins of our hearts.

His delay in returning is because there is one mission field left, the one of our hearts.  To live in heaven, we need to be transformed to the total absence of sin, holding on to none of it.  So many of us cling to the one cherished sin we refuse to yield up, hoping God will somehow just wink at our weakness.  But God wants us to free us from the pain and death of our sins, not leave us to continue to suffer within them.  So He delays His coming hoping to see the fields of our hearts truly sown, planted, and reaping a harvest centered upon the transformative love of Jesus Christ.  But the time for that is now.  The aspiration of repeating the Day of Pentecost in our lives is no longer just a passing whimsy but a desperate need in order to truly make us ready for His soon coming.  It is time to seek righteousness and discover the only way of finding it.  It is time to seek perfection and realize it has always been possible, not in our own strength but in the strength of Jesus Christ and His transformation of who we are down to the core.  Luke recorded the sermon of Peter upon the Day of Pentecost, but that sermon was not meant for that audience.  It was meant for this one, for you, and for me; for the purpose of these last days.

Peter mounts a defense for what some of Jews were questioning about the miracles seen on the Day of Pentecost in his day.  But Peter also speaks to us directly listen as Luke records picking up in verse 16 saying … “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; [verse 17] And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: [verse 18] And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:”  The last days Joel referred to were never so needed as they are today.  We war against atheism that would deny us purpose and meaning.  We war against humanism that would entice us to believe “intentions” are the pathway of self-realization.  We war against the delays of His return to dull our faith and reduce Jesus to historical stories, not experiential life changing transformation in the here and now.  Christianity has all but given up on the notion of perfection, as we have too long relied upon self to achieve it, and failed.  It is our hearts that need revival, and more reformation.  It is now which has become our last days.  And so our need is greater now than it has ever been.

Joel speaks to that need.  Peter correctly points out how God longs to pour our His Spirit upon ALL FLESH, yet we have too long choked off the access point of our hearts from that very experience.  But what would happen if we restricted God no longer?  What would happen if we longed for the very thing Joel describes, and Peter recounts.  What would happen if we literally begged for this?  Are we ready to beg for it?  I am.  My need is so great of these events my heart breaks for it, and my soul aches for it.  I have seen my need and I know how great it is.  I am certain that if I continue to rely upon me to achieve perfection, then my perfection is ever to remain out of reach. If I am to be saved from myself, only my Savior Jesus Christ can save me.  The Lord has granted me vision to see beyond into what is happening beyond the realms of human sight.  I see what God longs to do.  He only awaits a group of believers who also long to receive it.  “Your” sons and “your” daughters will prophesy.  “Your” children, not the children of strangers, but your own.  Are you ready for that?  Will you hear the word of God they utter, or will you close yourself off to it, affirming the age old adage the prophet receives no glory in his own home.  Your young men will see visions.  Your old men will dream dreams.  On MY servants AND on MY handmaidens will I pour out MY Spirit and they will prophesy says our God.  God describes a group of believers beyond any particular church who are ready and longing to receive this outpouring.  Has there ever been more need of these than there is today?

Luke continues in verse 19 saying … “And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: [verse 20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:”  These signs in the earth have already been in our history.  They could repeat themselves again if the Lord desires, but they are only hallmarks to point us back to readiness.  Not because we make ourselves ready, but that we would allow the Holy Spirit to make us ready.  God is looking for all of us.  God is longing for as many of us as will turn our hearts back to Him and long for Him in return.  Now!  During the time in our history when the ministry for this earth has changed.  We have moved from a period of investigative judgment to one of the final sealing of the people of God.  The investigation is over.  All that remains is to know who will allow the Lord to seal them before He returns.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the oil we have long sought, and the delays are finally coming to an end.  But because we have heard this message before will we ignore it now?  Will we treat it like just another boy crying wolf?  Or will we take it to heart, to our hearts.

Luke continues in verse 21 saying … “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  There it is.  There is the simple message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  To call upon “His” name.  For that is the only “name” of God we are certain exists in our knowledge.  Time for our prayers to become of singular nature, to ask forgiveness, and beg for the Holy Spirit if begging is what it takes.  Let us not face the end of all things on our own.  Let us face it armed with the Holy Spirit, and transformed by the power of Jesus Christ.  Devoid of sin, not just in action, but in desire, motive, even thought.  That is the kind of transformation that has always been possible, and is possible still.  If you have not found it yet, then join me as we pray in earnest for it, for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Let us be of one accord, in this one thing, once more.  Let us shed our denominational labels and cling to the one thing that unites us in Jesus Christ, and in the power of His Spirit to bring us into alignment with Him.  Along the way we will find the truth in His Word that has been there eluding us all the while.  We will come to know what He wants us to know.  But I submit there will be no revelation of truth while our eyes are dimmed by a refusal to follow, or while we cling to the notion it is our will that will somehow save us.

Luke continues as Peter continues his sermon in verse 22 saying … “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: [verse 23] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: [verse 24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”  Peter here gives a summary of the gospel word that has the power to save, to save even you from the desire to sin, let alone from the actions of sin.  Peter then goes back to the scriptures of his day to once again give argument for Jesus Christ.  He does not throw away the Old Testament, but instead embraces the truth of the Old Testament to prove out Jesus Christ, referring back to Joel, and now moving back even farther to David.  

Luke continues in verse 25 saying … “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: [verse 26] Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: [verse 27] Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. [verse 28] Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. [verse 29] Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. [verse 30] Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; [verse 31] He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.”  Peter outlines how David foretold of Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  David in this sense was more than patriarch, he was a prophet.

Luke continues in verse 32 saying … “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. [verse 33] Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. [verse 34] For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, [verse 35] Until I make thy foes thy footstool. [verse 36] Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  Peter again uses the same texts Jesus used when confronted by Pharisees who asked Him by what authority He spoke in the Temple.  Jesus uses this same story of David’s prophesy for which the Pharisees had no answer how to explain it.  But Peter does.  Now in retrospect Peter is able to use the exact same passages from the author David and the words of Christ to point out how they point to Jesus as the fulfillment of these passages.  And Peter again points out that all the servants of Jesus there, bare witness to these events from ministry, to crucifixion, to resurrection, to ascension.

And in all of this the singular goal of the Holy Spirit is achieved.  Jesus planted the seeds.  Peter becomes a vessel along with all the others in that place.  And the word is spread across the hearts of every person there.  It is undeniable.  And its impact and effects unmistakable.  This is what God wants for you and I in the here and now.  Luke continues in verse 37 saying … “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? [verse 38] Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. [verse 39] For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. [verse 40] And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. [verse 41] Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”

This sermon of Peter was meant for you, not just them as some sort of history lesson.  The effect of the Holy Spirit was “prick them in their hearts”, that is the recognition of our sins, and our guilt in embracing our sins.  That is the first thing the Holy Spirit does, convict us of what we need to lose.  And you will notice it is the heart that is the mechanism, or the field if you will, through which the Holy Spirit enters.  They respond as I hope you and I do asking – what shall we do?.  The answer is “repent”.  Then be baptized literally every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.  Notice not just forgiveness of sins (that is implied), but for the remission or the removal of sins from your life, from your hands and feet, mind and heart.  That is the work of transformation only Jesus promises to perform within you.  And we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit promised to each and all of us tp accomplish that work.  For the promise is UNTO YOU, and to YOUR children, to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God SHALL CALL.  That call is going out right now.  That call goes out in this text, but more importantly it goes out to your heart from the same Jesus you know so much about.  They gladly received his words and were baptized and that same day 3000 souls were added to his kingdom.

But more importantly than that precious harvest back then, is the harvest of one more, of you, of me.  Let us turn our hearts towards Jesus, let us too repent of our sins, of who we have become, and seek His baptism by the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Let us be transformed not by what we think to do, or try to do, but by the power of His love to make us new, here and now.  In mind and heart let us allow the Holy Spirit to make us One with our God and Lord Jesus Christ.  For it is only Jesus that has ever made us this offer, this promise.  There is no other way to the Father but through Jesus Christ.  And the power of the Holy Spirit is meant to make the gospel of Jesus Christ real in our hearts and minds, and be one with us as we face the end of all things.  Only then will our actions flow from our hearts, aligned with God, one with Him in the redemptive ministry to our world in these last few hours.  The nature of the ministry for our world has changed.  It has entered its final stage.  What will you do with what time you have left?  As for me and my house, clinging to the name and grace of Jesus Christ, we will serve the Lord …

 

The Word Must Spread [part 1 of 2] ...

How would we as a community of believers aspire to a repeat of the “Day of Pentecost”?  If the Gospel is to be spread, across the world, and across our hearts, what might be a recipe for a repetition of the outpouring of Holy Spirit in each of us?  The original event as noted by Dr. Luke in his letter to his friend Theophilus about what we believe and why in the Acts of the Apostles detailed several characteristics that were special about that time; then as they would be now.  First, the small community of believers was in one place.  Perhaps if we aspire to a repeat of the Day of Pentecost in our lifetime we might gain strength from the assembling of ourselves together.  In our day of social media, and tech enablement, we have perhaps become more isolated than we have ever been.  We have the ability to contact anyone, anywhere, and so we do, but our interactions become shorter, and less frequent over time.  We prefer small bursts of communication like twitter or tiktok.  One way communication to boost the self-importance of the sender, awaiting affirmation of such by the likes we receive.  All it takes is a significant pandemic to force isolation for a while, and even when the bulk of danger passes, the perfect storm to teach us to avoid groups is more engrained in our behavior.  Regular assembly with other believers just for joy of fellowship and strengthening of the body seems almost foreign to our thinking.

But our thinking is also perhaps foreign to a repetition of the Day of Pentecost in our lives.  Notice how Dr. Luke records the start of the conditions in Acts chapter 2 in verse 1 saying … “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”  As noted above the small community of believers was in one place.  Notice that perhaps proximity brought about unity of purpose.  In order to get along with a group of people you may find yourself becoming more patient, more tolerant of those different from yourself.  It may not mean you agree with everyone else, but to keep peace, you may find yourself being more quiet about your disagreements, and find yourself looking for the common ground you can both enjoy.  It takes humility to do that.  It takes a different kind of strength of character, not to compromise your values, but to consider the opinions and well being of a group ahead of the need to convert everyone else in that group to “your” way of thinking.  When your home and alone, you need zero humility to get along with yourself.  And getting along in your family group may also require less humility from you than doing it with a wider audience, whose beliefs, or values, you have little insight into.  In short, it is easier to be a good listener in a group of people, than to try to carry the conversation from exclusively your point of view.

Imagine too for a moment what effect isolation has on your perceptions of who Jesus is.  Being alone leaves you experiencing Jesus from just your point-of-view.  That perception can become very dominant as in your solitude, you never hear about how Jesus interacts with others, and perhaps what they have learned from that interaction.  It takes humility to stop talking and start listening to someone else describe their own interactions with Jesus.  And you will likely find they are radically different from your own.  In fact, each person you encounter is likely to have a different experience from yours, a unique one based on the needs of that person doing the sharing.  But there are also common threads there.  And there is joy in the discovery that each profile of Jesus you encounter may lead you to new wisdom, and deeper understandings of the love of Jesus you never considered before. 

Those perceptions do not exist in your point-of-view, they only can be found in the testimony of others.  To become of “one accord” we each need that testimony of the others in the group of believers.  Without shared experiences we just remain isolated individuals not ready for the outpouring we seek.  It is not only the victory stories we need to hear from each other, it is some of the failures as well.  Not to glorify the failures, but instead to provide strength to each other by listening, praying for each other, and sharing what we may have experienced with similar problems in our past.  Coming to truly rely on each other for encouragement is a hallmark of being of one accord as well.  You will note, this has yet to be a discussion about doctrine, or core beliefs – but Jesus is the common thread we should all be able to get behind no matter what denomination we carry on our sleeves.

Finally, one more small detail Luke points out to us in that first verse.  Luke notes when “the Day of Pentecost was fully come” that description may well imply that before the larger event, there was perhaps a series of smaller ones leading to the big one.  This is how I would read the word “fully”.  Just like our experiences with Jesus that grow over time, perhaps too, our experiences with the Comforter may also be of a growing nature.  In our aspirations of repeating the Day of Pentecost in our lives we might take this idea of a growing exposure to heart and realize it may not be just like a huge blast of water out of a firehose, but perhaps more likely starting as a trickle of water that increases slowly in volume, pressure, and speed – allowing us time to learn how to absorb it.  Looking for that “one and done” version of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit may not be what Jesus and the Spirit have in mind for any of us.  But instead they may be looking for us to develop a yearning for the Holy Spirit that grows in our hearts every day until His impact in our lives is clear and unmistakable.

Luke continues in verse 2 saying … “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. [verse 3] And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. [verse 4] And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  Then it happens and you will notice Luke is careful to point out that it happens to every single person in that assembly.  Not just the disciples, or apostles, or just the men, but to every single person there.  Everyone hears the sound of a mighty rushing wind.  And everyone sees the cloven tongues of fire appear over the heads of everyone else.  They were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost.  And they began to speak in foreign languages, that is to say, languages from regions they had likely never been to, let alone learned in their simple lives.  But here is the big kicker.  They ONLY said, what the Spirit gave them utterance to say.  This was not a flea market of people just gabbing in small talk.  This was an assembly of brand new evangelists freshly minted by the Holy Spirit Himself.  The word of Jesus must be spread across the world, how better than to preach to everyone so they could understand it.

And the lesson for us … are we ready to shut up, and then say only what the Holy Spirit gives us utterance to say.  Quit preaching, quit lecturing, quit talking, and just be quiet until God wants to speak thru us.  Perhaps what God needs is NOT for us to condemn some sin sick soul with what we see is clearly against the precepts of the Bible.  Perhaps instead the message was to be more like the writing in the sand that Jesus did when presented with someone clearly caught in the act of sin.  Jesus did not excuse the sin, or make light of it.  But He also did not discuss it or use it to condemn her.  Instead, He forgave her and freed her from this in her life going forward.  You cannot do that for anyone else, but you can LOVE them and LIVE your own life in such a way free from sin, that they might look at you and want to know how you do it?  In that simple question comes the pointing to Jesus to relieve every pain and sin in their lives.  To start them on a course that will see them free from the very thing you were ready to condemn them for only moments ago.  But instead, you shut up, and let God say thru you what He wants to say.  And in so doing you become partner in His work of salvation for the lost, including yourself.

And if everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit on that day, then that means everyone will be a witness of His power, His glory and His love.  Not just the young, but the old as well.  Not just the men, but the women as well.  Each one an equal messenger, yet each one used uniquely according to His good will.  And if the Holy Spirit has decided who He will use in the ministry of God, who are we to reject the vessel because we just don’t like them, or think that role belongs to that kind of person?  If your 5-year-old begins preaching to you from the Holy Spirit, perhaps you should quiet yourself and listen to what God has to say, and get past that part it is coming out of the mouth of your 5-year-old child.  And if the woman of ill repute begins testifying from the Holy Spirit, perhaps you should get over how she is dressed, and focus more on what she is saying.  Are you ready to ignore the word of God because it is coming from a package you know to have had sin in her life?  Who among us has lived a sinless life outside of Jesus?  It is not the package of the word that counts, it is the truth of the word from God meant for you to hear.

The word must spread.  Not only to others but to us.  Not only as mission in the fields, but as mission in our hearts and minds, in order to see us transformed by the singular power of Jesus Christ.  What happened on the Day of Pentecost was not just for the sake of the show.  It was not just the precursor to Barnum and Baily circus, it was done for a specific reason with a specific outcome in mind.  This was not just gibberish, it was clear language heard clearly by the recipients each in their own native tongues.  Luke continues in verse 5 saying … “And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. [verse 6] Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. [verse 7] And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? [verse 8] And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”  And here is the miracle.  Everyone heard the gospel, the word of Jesus Christ, the story of Jesus, each man in his own native language.  Again, this was not just some small talk you might hear at a party, this was a message from God with intent.  The miracle only brought the power of the delivery home to the listeners.

Luke then takes the time list out at least 15 distinct languages spoken on that day, probably more as some of the regions listed (like Mesopotamia for example) had more than one language spoken across that region.  Rest assured if the dialect was listed, there were listeners there from that area, who needed to hear the word of God.  Luke continues in verse 9 saying … “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, [verse 10] Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, [verse 11] Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. [verse 12] And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?”  This audience was intended for the devout worshippers who had come to Jerusalem from nearly every corner of the world at that time.  They would go home with this message and this miracle fresh on their minds, and word would be carried everywhere, all from just one single encounter.  Would God it were so in our minds and hearts.  Would that we too would accept the word of Jesus in our hearts so deeply we let Him completely change in us, whatever He sees fit to change, holding nothing or no one back from His tender mercies.

But then as now, there are always those who see the miracle, and have to find some other explanation for it.  Someone is healed, and they credit the medicine, the doctors, the surgeries, and never once consider they prayers offered on their behalf.  Someone gets the job they long for, and they think their resume must have been more effective, and the interview must have gone well, and they must have just done a real good job.  Never once do they consider the prayers sent up on their behalf.  Many credit “intentions” as if the world can be molded to the power of our will because we will it so.  Yet those same people living the life of blessings do not acknowledge the prayers said for them by loving parents and believers who refuse to leave them to the errors of their thinking.  In a contest between intentions and the love of God, who do you believe wins?  Yet some refuse to see what is right in front of them.

Luke continues in verse 13 saying … “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. [verse 14] But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: [verse 15] For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.”  Up to now it has been the sound of many witnesses speaking.  But now Peter takes the lead to debunk this non-sensible accusation.  The believers are not drunk as it is only 9am.  That is just common sense.  And find me a drunk person who speaks better, let alone in another language.  Also find me a drunk person who clearly articulates the word of God so as to draw people to the story of Jesus with the power of Holy Spirit.  These words had their intended effect, they converted many.  Not many drunks to take that kind of credit either.

But there is more to say on this event …